Christie Vogler ((IOWA UniversitY-USA)
Prospectus for the Ph.D. in Anthropology- Negotiating Cultural Identity: The Importance of Religious Space for Indigenous and Colonial Powers at Gangivecchio, Sicily
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<<(…) Gangivecchio . The site dates possibly as far back as the late Greek colonial period of the 5th century BCE, and continues to be occupied all the way up to the 19th century CE (Storey 2013). So far, survey and excavations of the area have provided substantial evidence of Roman occupation of the site. However, evidence of Greek occupation at Gangivecchio thus far is sparse and requires further investigation. According to the lead researcher at Gangivecchio, Glenn Storey, given the long-standing cult-associations of the Benedictine abbey at Gangivechhio, and its foundation on an abundant set of springs, along with an enigmatic aqueduct feature, “it would be surprising if the chronology of the site did not pre-date the Roman occupation” (Storey2002, 12). In order to better understand the site of Gangivecchio as a whole, it is necessary to conduct excavations on the western side of the property associated with Greek archaeological material. Also of important consideration for this research is the nearby site of Monte Alburchia, where an indigenous settlement has been identified by local archaeologists. According to Mario Siragusa, Alburchia appears to have important significance in central Sicily during the Greek colonizing period (Siragusa 2011, 179). During the 5th and 4th century BCE, the population at Alburchia interacted with both large Sikeliote poleis (post-colonial indigenous communities) and smaller indigenous settlements. Coinage dating to that time gives evidence of political relations between Monte Alburchia, Camene and Camarina (Siragusa 2011, 184).
The community at Alburchia likely gathered around a single leader arising from the warrior class. It seems that in many indigenous populations on Sicily, the most valuable members of the community were experienced in the use of arms, forming a sort of primitive warrior aristocracy (Siragusa 2011, 180). In a more subordinate position would have been a group of skilled craftsmen. One of their tasks would have been to provide the community with tools of everyday use as well as weapons. This means certain resources, especially metal, came to be highly valued in Sikel society and fell under the control of the warrior class. The need to control these resources was so significant that trade and manufacture may have taken on a religious aspect so as to provide the elite with ritualized power over both resources and products, as well as over the artisans themselves (Siragusa 2011, 170). Due to their strategic location between Madonie and the coastal poleis , the people of Alburchia appear to have had both military and economic interactions with important Greek colonial sites like Gela and Syracuse (Siragusa 2011, 183). By the middle of the 6 th century BCE, examples of imported pottery appear in the material record at Alburchia. With their growing interactions between the Greek colonists and the Sikeliote, the people at Alburchia began to adopt some aspects of Greek culture. Pottery production began to embrace new styles and characters, becoming less crude in the process. It also appears that a shift in religious worship occurred around this time. Siragusa suggests that an integration of the existing cults of the people of Alburchia with the Greek goddess Athena Lindia took place, again suggesting ties to Gela and Syracuse (Siragusa 2011,182). Investigation of Monte Alburchia, in conjunction with further excavation at Gangivecchio, would assist immensely in better understanding the economic, political, and cultural interactions taking place in this early historical period of Sicily>>.
[Estratto da progetto di ricerca universitaria americana (Iowa University) su Gangivecchio ed Alburchia. Libro cit. Mario Siragusa, La città scomparsa della montagna incantata tra archeologia e storia della Sicilia in R.Franco, Alburchia, La Montagna incantata, Bagheria, Plumelia, 2011.- Il Papers di C. Vogler in:www.Academia.edu]
Disponibile inoltre a pag. 14 la newsletter Archeoclub sede di Gangi, relativa a questo articolo(PDF) di Cristie Vogel
Mario Siragusa
dottore di ricerca in storia contemporanea